Change might just come to the world

I stayed up all night yesterday to watch the outcome of the 2008 US Presidential elections. Even though most opinion polls suggested a comfortable lead for Barack Obama, I still was not quite convinced that Americans were actually ready to elect their first Black President. I was wrong.

The first polls closed shortly after 12.00 BST and as expected the State of Vermont went to Mr. Obama and Kentucky to Mr. McCain. Impatient as I am, I followed the results via the New York Times (www.nytimes.com) as well, and on that site it became evident that the race would get really close in States like Indiana and Virginia. More States began to color Red and Blue, but the ‘Key Battleground States’, still did not show a clear preference for either one of the candidates. Striking was though that around 2.00 BST, and after counting 1% of the vote in the State of Texas, Mr. Obama was taking a surprising lead hear. Of course, Texas turned out to remain a Republican stronghold.

This of course turned out not to be important, neither upsetting. By 4.00 BST it became clear that Mr. Obama did not only win the elections – it turned out to be a landslide victory which can be compared to the victories of former Presidents Bill Clinton and Lyndon Johnson. Form the West Coast to the East Coast (ecluding of course the Bible Belt States), America started to turn in a shade of deep blue. Key States like Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, Florida, Ohio and of course Pennsylvania all voted for change. Not the type of change Mr. McCain offered, which might just be 4 more years of Bushism, but the a change to a more decent, respectable and liberal America.

In his acceptance speech, Mr. Obama once again enchanted his audience with a message of hope and change that will bring peace and prosperity to the American people. This message is the same we have heard over the last 21 months – it must be said that, much to Mr. Obama’s credit, his message of change and hope has been persistent and has been the key to a successful Presidential campaign.

What I found most striking though was Mr. Obama’s direct outreach to the rest of the world. Mr. Obama appeared to be aware of the fact that celebrations were not only taking place in Grant Park Chicago, but also throughout the rest of the the US and all over the world. Where America seemed to be celebrating the end of racial struggles and the end of Bushism, the world seemed to celebrate the beginning of a new chapter in American foreign policy.

8 years of Bushism has brought nothing but harm to America’s position in the world, its relationship with its allies, and in particular its relationship with the EU and Russia. Polls taken in various European Countries already suggested huge support amongst Europeans for Mr. Obama, and even some European politicians could not hide their enthusiasm for a potential Democratic President. Germany’s Finance Minister Peer Steinbruck and his Dutch counterpart Wouter Bos more or less endorsed Mr. Obama before the elections.

This international hope for change in Washington reflects in a way the consequences of an Obama presidency can have. The expectations are high, and most liberal Europeans will be dissapointed.In the first place, Mr. Obama will have to spend a considerable amount of his time cleaning the mess Mr. Bush has left for him after 8 years of Bushism. It includes the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a bankrupt financial market and rising unemployment. However, the perception of the US in the rest of the world has changed over night, and Mr. Obama is more likely to be able to count on America’s historic allies in Europe, including France and Germany. Russia’s expectations for a better relationship with America have already been expressed by President Medvedev, and Iran finds itself with one reason less to justify its totalitarian hate of America and its people.

It will be interesting to see how the first years of the Presidency will develop. Change has surely come to America with the first African-American President in the White House. Change has also come to the world. Let’s hope it will all be for the good.